Bonds
It was a cool crisp night in Caelum, but that was to be expected, considering the high altitude of the city. Othrys, the capitol of Caelum, a city previously hidden across the Tam Mountain Range. And on the highest peak of this highest mountain, was the highest castle in all the land. In it, the country's young king was resting. Or at least, he should've been. Jupiter Saturnalia enjoyed being a king. He liked the security details, the high authority, the fact that he could make a difference. He thought it was the coolest thing ever. But something had finally dawned on him during a conversation with his sister. "You need to leave the castle more often," said Proserpina. "I don't think you've left it in days." "The place is huge," responded Jupiter. "I can get plenty of exercise just by walking from my room to the throne." "That's not what I meant." "Then what did you mean?" "You don't have any friends." "What do you mean? I've got plenty of friends! No less than 6000." "We made them together Jupiter, they don't count." It had taken him four years for this revelation to finally hit him. The fact that he had no friends. "This is when people are out at night? Right?" It was one o'clock in the morning. He looked back into his room, his guard dog, Noah panting at him. "Stay." He ordered, emphasizing it by pointing downwards. He turned back to the window to jump out. Noah got up and began walking over to Jupiter. The king turned back around. "Stay!" He said more forcefully, his whisper gaining more tone. This time he jumped. Lightning cloaked his body as he flew out of the high window. He landed on the nearest rooftop, looking up towards the castle. "Ruff!" Jupiter almost jumped out of his skin. "Oh right, you can teleport. Why'd I make a teleporting dog? Well, I guess if you're already here, let's go." He ran from rooftop to rooftop in the dead of the night. Primrose entered the city, still fresh off the boat, having come here from the Fioren shores to the island nation of Caelum. It was her first time seeing the country with her own eyes but in her own opinion, she failed to see it as any different than any other country she'd visited before. Her assignment was the same as always and as always it would be a boring one but her status allowed her to do much of what she pleased, a necessity for her own hidden agenda. She needed not a body guard nor an escort of any kind, a personal choice of her own as she knew perfectly well how to defend herself if she needed. Jupiter continued jumping from rooftop to rooftop. Noah dare not make the jump, instead teleporting to his master every time he had cleared a building. "The cool breeze on my face, my canine companion to keep me company, and not a soul to stop me. This is a pretty good night! Now then, where's the nearest bar..?" His distraction was his undoing. He tripped over his own foot, falling straight down to the ground at high speeds, like a lightning bolt. The snow that had piled up throughout the day exploded upwards like a geyser. He popped his head out of the snow like a mole, Noah teleporting next to him and licking his face. "Stop it, stop it! Your tongue feels like sandpaper." Despite the insult, the dog still panted happily towards its master. He sniffed the air, turning to the new scent. Jupiter looked as well to see an attractive young woman looking directly at him. He quickly scrambled to his feet, dusting himself off. "Hi," he said, trying to sound calm and collected. Her eyes narrow at the man as he gets up after falling like a heap from the rooftops above. "That looks like it hurt, perhaps the streets will provide safer transport next time you find yourself in a rush." Her voice as cold as the snow that fell to the earth as she doesn't even return his hello. "Anyhow, forgive me for blocking your path, you seem quite busy and whatever business you have so late into the night is none of my own, good day." She bows lightly, more of a trained formality than any true sign of concern or respect before she begins to walk away. "Oh, if I may bother you for a moment longer, could you perhaps point me to the nearest cafe that is open this time of night, if none such exists then the nearest inn would suffice." Jupiter was slightly taken aback by her cold demeanor. They were in the location with the second lowest average temperature in the country, but the weather outside didn't compare to her. He began cracking his joints, trying to limber his body back up. "Unfortunately no. I may live here, but I guess I don't get out enough. I don't even recognize this street. But you know what, I was on my way to cafe myself. I couldn't sleep, so I'm going out. Perhaps we could find someplace to relax together?" Primrose thought for a few brief moments, weighing the pros and cons of accepting the man's sudden offer. On one hand, he may be able to provide her with information on the city but that seemed somewhat unlikely due to him just saying he didn't know much. Whether this was true or simply a lie was something she did not know. An obvious con would be that she would likely have to endure his advances, not something she wasn't used to but after her long journey, her patience wore thin. "Only if you can tell me more about this place, I've never been to this country before and would like to know more about it." She spoke, wanting to confirm whether or not he could be of use. "Well then let's see..." began Jupiter as he continued stretching. "Othrys was originally a city-state founded by Cronus Saturnlia. The first King of Othrys. From there, he expanded into the rest of Caelum, slowly taking over more and more until Othrys was the undisputed ruler of the archipelago." He went on and on as they walked, reciting the entire abridged history of his country. It would've been more boring if anyone other than him was reciting it. He had a way of making the most mundane of information sound interesting. Yet, he didn't seem to say much about any actual building plans in the country. "...which eventually led to Jupiter Saturnalia using his army, the Legion Under the Black Sun, taking control of the country as Caelum's second monarch. Anything else you would like to know?" "The history lesson was quite interesting but I meant the current state of the country, the government, and its people. Something I couldn't learn by just opening up a book but I digress." She said, her crystal clear blue eyes looking down at the small watch on her wrist. "You did say we were headed somewhere if I'm not mistaken and we've yet to arrive despite the long winded story. I don't suppose you were lying were you?" She asked with an accusatory tone as she turns to him with a raised eyebrow. "Well, like I said before, I don't know my away around as well as I should. I've been following Noah, who's following the smell of coffee. How much farther buddy?" Noah barked. "We'll be there in about five more minutes. In terms of political state, however, we're going through a rough patch here. It use to be much worse. With Cronus in prison, we had a time without a leader. And our loss against Fiore during the Bellona Alliance War left us with little money and defense. Of course, we're rich in ores here, so we've been able to bounce back." Noah began barking excitedly. "Ah, here we are." Before them was a brick cafe. The smoke billowing from the chimney and the lights on the inside said that it was open. "After you." Jupiter waved his hand in front of him, allowing the woman to pass in front of him. Primrose nodded, entering the cafe before taking a seat. The heated interior was a welcome change from the snowy cold of the outside. Her peace was of course, quickly interrupted by the sound of the chair across the small circular table from her sliding out and the young man sitting there. "Tell me, how is it possible that a man who lives in this city could fail to know its layout. Even if you don't 'go out much', surely you should know your own town." Primrose said, her tone more curious than cold this time around as she genuinely didn't understand how such a thing could be. "Well," began Jupiter, his tone of voice laced with nervousness, "truth be told, I've left my home twice the entire time I've been living here." Primrose leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs, somewhat amused by the young man's claim to have never left his home all but twice. "That doesn't sound like any way to live but surely you have your reasons, or perhaps you don't. After all, not many people are out so late in the night so maybe you snuck out, a strict parent not wanting you to see the world or something of the sort I would assume." She picked about the different possibilities, waiting for the young man to react to one of them. "Regardless, I suppose I can see the pros and cons of being a shut in whether by your own choice or not. The world is quite the cruel and dangerous place after all." She said, a waiter bringing over their orders, the snowy haired woman, lifting the cup up to her lips to sip the tea gently before placing it back down on the small plate it had come on. "Actually, I love people," said Jupiter as he took a sip of his hot chocolate. "And I've been on my own since I was little. I just never really needed to leave my house since I moved here, so I haven't really left it either. I have everything I could possibly ever need in there. That's not too weird, is it? I didn't actually want to become a shut in." "You say that but at the same time, you say you never had a reason to leave your home. There is a small hint of contradiction there, as though people alone weren't worth leaving the house for. Of course, that leads me another glaring question now, why is it now that you've decided to leave and why is it you've decided to make me the target of your attention?" She asked, folding her hands in her lap. "Well, I wanted to go out and make some friends, and you were the first person I ran into." He said it without the slightest bit of hesitation, as if it was a completely normal occurrence. A broad smile still stretched across his face. "Excuse me sir," said a man who had walked up to them. Judging from his attire, he was either the owner or manager of the establishment. "I'm afraid you're not allowed to have animals on the premises." Jupiter turned his head to his companion. "Oh Noah, I completely forgot that you were here." At that moment, upon seeing his face, the man's face turned red. "Oh I'm terribly sorry sir. I had not realized it was you." "No, no it's fine," responded Jupiter, "I can take him out if you'd like." "No please, I insist. Enjoy your meal." And on that final word, he left. "An interesting reaction to a man who has left his home but twice since he has lived here." Primrose pointed out the strange reaction from the man who had interrupted them. "It seems there is a lot more to this story than you like to be letting on. I can only imagine that you must be one of very few things, a high-ranking criminal, a simple intimidating figure in this part of town, a weirdo, or a nobleman. I could see some more than others, no offense." She said, her tone was flat as it had been during the majority of their conversation, not cold but simply showing no emotion at all. "Oh, I can make some observations about you too," said Jupiter. "Judging from your attire, you're at least well off, if not wealthy, and Othrys receives no wealthy immigrants. The only ones who move here are poor Caelian citizens so that they can hope to reap the rewards of the Saturnalia Festival. So I can only assume that you're here for either political reasons or this is a business trip." He leaned back in his chair, feeling a twinge of pride in his dedicative reasoning skills. Although, it had yet to be seen if he was right or not. Primrose leaned slightly forward in her chair, "The daughter of a noble family with no intentions of keeping herself locked up in a mansion like a prisoner waiting to be wed to the first man with enough money to impress her father. I am simply a traveler who has taken it upon herself to enjoy the freedom that such a large and open world can provide. More so than the man before me that has done the exact opposite." She spoke, telling only a chopped up version of the truth with lies thrown in just as she told anyone who inquired to her past, a better safe than sorry attitude toward talking to strangers. "The world is a bit more complicated than black and white, even if my attire is not." "So it would seem." There was a moment of silence. Dead air which needed to be filled. Jupiter hated silence. He broke it with the first thing to come to mind. "Will you be my friend?" A look of confusion crossed over the face of the young woman sitting across from the grown man who'd just suddenly asked her a question she might expect from a child. She smiles for the first time during their conversation, the corners of her lips curling upward with a look of amusement. She looked down at her watch before looking back up at the man across from her, "It is exactly one forty-seven in the morning, there are a lot of questions I would expect a man to ask at this time of night but never would I expect that to be one of them." She said with a bit of a snicker in her voice before she let out a pleasant sigh and lifted the tea cup back up to her lips. "Look, you seem like a nice guy if not a bit ignorant. I can't say I understand the idea of friendship all that well either but I can assure you it isn't earned through a simple question. There'are things like trust involved and for your own sake I'll tell you right now that I'm not the most trustworthy person." She said, finishing her tea before getting up placing the price for it under the small plate on which the cup sat before she stood up. "I have to be up early tomorrow morning for something important so I'm afraid all the time I have to chat has been exhausted. While unlikely, if we meet again and you've matured a bit, I'll think about it. However, until then I think it best that we say goodbye." She spoke before walking toward the exit to find an inn somewhere in town. ---- Jupiter sat in his throne, bags under his eyes, Noah by his side. He let out a huge yawn and slumped back into his chair. "Did you sleep well?" asked Proserpina, almost sarcastically. "Like a rock," answered Jupiter. "It's more so I didn't get enough of it. I wouldn't be surprised if I fell asleep during my meeting with Iceberg's ambassador today." "I wouldn't do that, she probably wouldn't appreciate it." "Oooooo she!" said Jupiter excitedly. "Perhaps she'll be pretty. All good kings need a queen." His sister shot him a dirty look. "What? I'm kidding. We both know I don't have the skills to get a girlfriend. At least not yet." Proserpina rolled her eyes. "Well, I'll be out with Vega. We're going to buy some more sculpting supplies. Then I'll run my rounds on the army." "Thank you dear sister." And at that, she left. With no one else to talk to, Jupiter turned to his purple bodyguard. "You probably don't feel attracted to humans, do you Altar." "No sir," he responded. At that Jaco teleported into the room, Librum and Ragna in tow. "Good morning my lord," said Ragna. "Good morning gentlemen," said Jupiter. "Thank you, Jaco, you're dismissed." He disappeared with a grunt. "I'll need my best advisors present for this one. "Let's see how the day goes." ---- Outside of the entrance to the castle, the snow haired woman waited, the time in which she was meant to meet the king was arriving slowly as each minute that passed felt like an hour to the impatient woman. Her attention is caught when a rather colorful looking man opens the gate and gives a light bow before motioning for her to follow. She does so and silently follows the man through the castle where she memorizes every detail of the hallways she walks down until they reach the throne room. "Welcome to Othrys," said the man accompanying her. "Ordinarily I'd carry you, but I was informed you'd prefer walking. Too damn slow..." he muttered those last words under his breath. "Well, here we are. Velocity placed his hand on the large door which led to the throne and lightly shoved, it opens the whole way in only a few seconds. "I present to you; King Jupiter Saturnalia, son of Cronus Saturnalia, second King of Othrys, and commander-in-chief of the Legion Under the Black Sun." Jupiter saw Primrose. Primrose saw Jupiter. He covered his mouth, holding back a laugh. A small snicker escaped his mouth though. His soldiers looked at him in confusion. "Thank you Velocity," Jupiter said when his laughing fit had calmed down. "You'll know when to come back." And in a flash and a gust of wind, he was gone. "Hello, ambassador. You must be Primrose Rookhart." Primrose is at first surprised by the unexpected revelation but this was only broadcast through the slight widening of her eyes for a moment before she quickly regained her composure and nodded her head. "Indeed, I am. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." She spoke with the poise and grace of a politician, a slight curtsy before taking her seat at the large table in the room directly across from the seat in which Jupiter sat. "I do hope our dealings can be eventful and beneficial to both parties." Jupiter maintained his grin, but with an air of seriousness. Ragna and Librum sat on either side of him, with Altar standing by his side. He looked at her intently, as if he knew her. "So," began Jupiter, "I believe you wish to negotiate trade with me. Caelum's natural resources of very vast and useful to many parties." "Indeed, I've been sent to hash out a trade agreement between the nations of Caelum and Iceberg. I am aware that your current main export is that of pure and refined lacrima while our main exports are that of rare furs hunted in our forests and refined metals mined from out mountains and the processed into high-quality materials. I do believe allowing access to some of those mines as well as allowing the shipment of our furs into your borders in exchange for the trading of lacrima along with capital and recreational goods such as machine parts along with non-meat foods. If we do reach such an agreement I believe it would do well to open up further trading possibilities between the two countries." Primrose explained in a professional manner, personally hoping the man before her would understand exactly what it was she was offering lest she have to explain it again in simpler terms. "As you know, Caelum's surface is mountainous and barren. Barely any food exists up there. Although we're able to get some food from underground reservoirs, it's more difficult to find sources for food and clothing. So it would behoove me to agree. However, we're also rich in various kinds of ore, another export of ours. Would you have anything unique to Iceberg that would interest us?" "The country of Iceberg, as the name suggests, is a country that sees long and heavy winters. This has, rather than making our country barren, steeled the resolve of all life that lives within her borders. All animals and plants with the country have a trait of hardiness that is hard to find in other places. This is why, while not one of our main exports, our lumber business is a booming one. The strong and firm resolve of our plant life is something that is seen in few other places and as such it allows for the creation of sturdy appliances wherever it is incorporated into furniture. Fire resistant and strong enough to severe punishment, I offer the possibility of lumber to replace my former offer of mining rights." Primrose does her best to make her offer appealing. "Hm," thought Jupiter, touching his hand to his chin. "Wood doesn't make as good a building material as stone or metal. At the same time, our lacrima support us for the use of fuel, lighting, and cooking. But if this wood is as hardy as you say it is, would that make it more useful than our building materials?" Despite his immature facade, the young king was still quite intelligent when it came to matters of his country. "If not, we'd be fully willing to trade for food and fur, but the amount of lacrima you would receive would be decreased in proportion to the amount of lumber or ore you were originally intending to trade with us. Although, I am still curious if Iceberg possesses any unique ores we would not possess. Caelum itself is home to many, including Black Iron, Ice Stone, Blood Stone, and Pyrane." "The wood is normally used in furniture, only being used in buildings to help withstand weathering such as in decks or roofs as the wood is highly resistant against rain and snow. To have a table, bookshelf, or chair made out of Icebergian wood is more of a luxury than the lumber being used in a practical sense." Primrose explains the purpose of the wood and why it was it was so highly sought after. "As for ore, Iceberg does not export any ore containing magical properties as it is a rarity in our country and thus would make no use as an export as there are countries such as your own in which these materials can be sold in bulk at a lower price. Icebergs main exports are that of seafood such as giant snow crab, lobster, and several different kinds of fish which include but is not limited to tuna and salmon. Our high-quality steel which is often used in vehicles and industrial machinery along with, at a lesser extent, our hardy lumber." She explained, before continuing, "While seafood is the food export of highest demand it is by no means the only one being offered. The country has an array of highly demanded sweets such as chocolate that is already being sold in several other countries in Ishgar." "The people of Caelum are more practical than most other countries. Not very people can actually afford luxuries. And those that can are in government or the military. But as I said before, your food products sound tantalizing. A good infusion of imported food and sweets would be a nice thing for our citizens to have." "I'm glad we could come to an agreement." She said, pulling out a folder filled with a large stack of documents that would need to be looked over and signed before trade between the two countries could begin. "I have the paperwork here, the contracts and documents are quite long as they also recommend several companies in which are trusted by the Icebergian government to provide the best of the goods agreed on that we have to offer." She said, allowing one of Jupiter's advisors to take the documents over to the young man. "I expect it will likely be several months before a full agreement is met and trade can begin but I am glad that we were able to begin trade talks successfully." "If we have nothing further to discuss for now, I would like to head back to my quarters in the mean time to go over these papers." Jupiter got to his feet. "It was a pleasure madame ambassador." He turned away with his entourage following behind him as he exited the room. Altar turned back to her, shooting her a glance. But not the kind of rage-based look he gave to almost all humans and forms of sentient life, he gave her a look of understanding, as if they were conspirators. His eyes said "Soon all will be ours". Her eyes narrow as they meet with Altar's a passing glance between the two that no one would notice and even if they did, would likely think nothing of the seemingly meaningless exchange. When Jupiter and his followers were no longer in sight, she turns to exit the meeting room to be greeted by the same man who had brought her here. After being led out from the palace she returns to her hotel room to prepare for her return to Iceberg where she would continue her duties until she was next called to this place either as an ambassador or as a member of Gigantomachy. With all her things ready and her duties done, she decides to explore the town a bit as this was still her first time here but would not likely be her last. Just seconds after Primrose had left her hotel, a ball of lightning landed right in front of her again. The lightning cleared to reveal the young king with a wide grin on his face. "Hello madame ambassador. Would you like a tour of the city?" He said this with a bow. "I left the dog at home this time." Citizens began coming out of the woodwork, staring at him. They began murmuring to themselves. "Is it the young king?" "Yes. It is!" "Lord Saturnlia!" He seemed to like the attention. The woman's eyes stare blankly at the man in front of her as she attempted to decide how she would go about interacting with him now that she had come to know of his identity. "I doubt you'll be able to simply call meeting me here a coincidence and despite your oblivious nature when it comes to people, surely even you understand that women prefer not to be followed by men they hardly know." She spoke bluntly, figuring he'd notice if she were to change her tone. "Oh come on," said Jupiter. "I may not have known the lay of the land very well before, but with my soldiers up I know everything. Let me take you to the most beautiful place in Caelum, and the possibly the world. And make up your mind fast before the paparazzi closes in." Citizens had already begun to chant "Io Saturnalia". "Whatever, just don't draw any more attention to yourself, I dislike crowds." She spoke as she began to follow closely behind the man. She had no idea where he planned to take her but so long as it was somewhere away from the annoying chanting voices she would not complain. The way the young king so easily left himself exposed, having likely snuck out again and thus his guard would have no idea of his whereabouts, his willingness to turn his back and be alone with a complete stranger. It was childish and foolish and if she were ever hired to kill him she had little doubt the job would be all that hard, especially when she hadn't even been searched for weapons before entering the meeting where she sat with a knife up her skirt with none the wiser. "Where are we going? For someone who does not know the layout of his town you seem to be striding forward with confidence." "Oh trust me," said Jupiter. "I know all when my army's awake." His words were cryptic, but he still maintained his smile. The crows from earlier began to follow him, but he held out his hand. They all stopped as if they were soldiers in his army. "Despite what my father might have done in the Bellona Alliance when I was a child, he was always kind to his own citizens. He inspired loyalty from his subjects. You won't find bigger Patriots outside of Caelum." They continued walking in silence for a few more moments. "So, how have you been enjoying your stay in Othrys so far?" "It's not as cold as my homeland, despite what the snow may tell you I find it a bit warm here. Which from that I'm sure you can tell how I feel about Pergrande." She said, continuing to follow Jupiter, feeling more relaxed now that the crowd that had surrounded them before was gone. "I think the city here is beautiful but I've not spent enough time here to know if that beauty is only skin deep. Every city holds its dark secrets after all and some just so happen to be more rotten than others." She clears her throat before she continues, "If I may ask, did you have some reason for finding me again? I can't imagine your personal guard appreciate you sneaking out two nights in a row." "Frankly I just enjoy your company," answered Jupiter plainly. "That may seem strange to you, but I form attachments quickly." He sighed. "Othrys is by no means a rich city. Most of our citizens are considered poor. They look forward to the Saturnalia Festival each year when the government gives presents to our citizens. However, we've been making strives to end poverty in our nation. It's one of the reasons I decided to strike up a trade agreement with Iceberg. I didn't expect the ambassador would be a pretty girl such as yourself though. I mean, you can't be much older than me." "I'm glad I can be so charming but don't think flattery will get you anywhere with me. I've heard more than enough to last me two life times and whether they mean it or not they always seem to be said with the intention of getting something in return, as though a few words is enough to entitle them to reward." She said, her tone involuntarily becoming disgusted for a few moments as she reached the end of her sentence before she let out a sigh. "Anyhow, becoming quickly attached to those around you isn't what I would call an attractive trait. After all, they say the most explosive flames die first and I'm inclined to believe that his true." She crosses her arms as they continue to walk through the streets that were quickly losing the light of the setting sun and being replaced by the artificial light of street lamps. "I can't say I know how old you are but I'm twenty-two and I've been the ambassador for Iceberg since I took over for my mother at the age of eighteen. It's a family business of sorts." "What a coincidence," said Jupiter with a chuckle. "I'm 21 and took over as king at age 17 after Fiore arrested my father. Looks like we have a bit in common. Anyways, when I give someone compliments, I mean it. The only thing I'd want to get out of return from a relationship with you is being my friend. Besides, I'm a king. What could you have that I'd want in the first place?" "I don't suppose you want to have some philosophical debate on the idea of what a king truly is so I'll give you this and say there is nothing you could want that I would be capable of giving you." She ended that portion of the conversations as she truly didn't feel the need nor desire to get any deeper into her own beliefs and ideas. "Aside from this 'friendship' you keep going on about anyway," she remarked, unable to resist taking the single shot. " How much further until we reach wherever it is you wanted to go? At this rate, your tour of the city will consist of this single location." "It'll only be a little while longer," replied Jupiter. Soon, they found themselves against a stone wall. Jupiter touched his hand to it, the wall creating a door which led into a deep and large cave. "The Othryan military use to use it when the location was still hidden. Come on." He walked inside, beckoning her to follow him. "I'll even be in front so you don't have to worry about me trying anything." "I'm not worried, I don't travel with body guards for a reason. I can handle myself," she responds as she follows Jupiter into the cave. Once inside the lack of light from the street lamps made the inside of the cave a bit darker than the streets outside. While not completely pitch black she was not a fan of having her senses obscured and as such she began to quietly click her tongue, that combined with the echo of her heels clicking on the stone floor gave her a mental picture of everything around her. Her eyes had all but closed to not confuse herself as they continued walking. "Well, I believe that," said Jupiter in reference to her traveling alone, "but what if you run into someone stronger than you. That's why I have Altar. He's the strongest being in the world." Soon, she no longer needed to close her eyes. A blue light radiated from the walls. "It's all unrefined lacrima in its crystallized state. But there's way more than where that came from." Jupiter led her deeper and deeper into the cave. Every step they took, the more illuminated the cave became. Soon, it was as bright as the rising sun, albeit tinted blue. "Welcome to the Lacrima River!" His voice echoed along the cave. They had entered a large clearing. Crystals of lacrima lined the ceiling, walls, and floor, each of varying sizes. And in the middle, was a flowing blue river. "It's all un-programmed lacrima. It's a rare variety though. It's completely non-volatile. You could even swim in it. Except it would do this." Lightning crackled around Jupiter's fingertip as he touched it to the water's surface. From the point he touched, a small portion of the river turned yellow as a small blast of lightning shot out of it. Quickly, it turned back to its standard blue color in the flow of the river. "It's a national treasure. People come from miles around to come see this thing. We take some of it for economic use, but not too much. The cave's structure creates naturally occurring lacrima at a rapid pace, which is how there's so much here." His grin was so wide his face started to hurt. Primrose looked around the large cavern, the blue of the lacrima reflecting off the icy blue of her own eyes. While her face did not show it, she felt somewhat taken aback for the first time since arriving in Caelum. Her eyes falling away from the sight so that she could once again speak to Jupiter. "Yes, it is certainly a sight to behold. One might even call it one of the natural wonders of the world. I can't say I'd heard about it until now though." She said as she walked a bit further into the cavern. "I will say, if your intentions were to impress me then you've succeeded. Even if only for a brief few moments," she gave a backhanded compliment. "Why thank you," said Jupiter. Jupiter put his hands into the lacrima river, cupping the fluid in them. His hands glowed for a moment before the liquid became black, with white speckles reminiscent of the night sky. "If the lacrima isn't returned to the river, it doesn't regain its pure form." He let go of the water, causing it to float into the air. Jupiter produced from his pocket a flask. "I like t come here sometimes and collect different magic types." He grabbed the lacrima again and placed it into the flask. "For you, a fluid that represents our nation. Named for Caelum, the God of the Sky whose body was the night, a flask of the magic that shares his name as well, Ouranos." He presented the flask to her. "Consider it a sign of goodwill between our nations." She takes the flask into her hands, feeling the cold metal of the flask through her black gloves as she looks down at the small container before her eyes looked back up to meet the young kings. A small but visible smile could be seen on her face as she gives a slight bow, "Thank you, our queen will be delighted to learn of this gift and to have the chance to see the quality of your lacrima in its purest form first hand." Primrose spoke with a hint of gratitude in her voice before she places the flask into the small pouch that hung from the belt of her skirt. "I am sorry to say but I'm afraid it might be time for me to head back and get some rest. I have a long journey ahead of me tomorrow but once trade talks begin again I will likely return and when I do I hope it would be possible for us to finish this tour of the city. Though, I hope that by the time I have returned that you will have actually explored it a bit more yourself." She said, making a small joke at his expense before she reaches out to shake the young man's hand. Jupiter smiled, gripping the ambassador's hand and shaking gently. "I look forward to when that time will come." Jupiter arrived back into the palace a few minutes later. "Where have you been?" asked Proserpina. "I thought someone kidnapped you." "If someone had kidnapped me, the Legion would've told you," said Jupiter. "You didn't answer my question." "You wanted me to go out, so I did." "At least tell me where you were going." "I was visiting the ambassador." "Why?" "She's nice." "Really? She seemed stone cold to me." "I dunno." Jupiter walked past his sister. "Something about her, just makes me want her to be my friend." Proserpina moved her hand to her mouth as she stifled a laugh. "Oh my god, do you have a crush other?" "What?!" Jupiter blushed profusely. "Oh my god, you do!" "So what! I'm probably not going to see her that often anyways." "Well, you know what they say, 'absence makes the heart grow fonder.'" "That's a myth. Ever heard of propinquity?" "Whatever." Jupiter sat on a windowsill. "When's the next Iceberg negotiation?" "I think the next face to face meeting is in three months." "Three months, huh? I think I can wait that long."